Lagos newly signed Anti-graft law unconstitutional, retrogressive ― Olabode George

Former Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has kicked against the recent Anti- Corruption Bill passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly and signed into law by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, which he said seeks to shield criminals from being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing it as unconstitutional and retrogressive.

Chief George expressed this view on Monday in Lagos at a press conference titled: “Nigeria: Time to Chart a new direction,” which he addressed during the welcome party, organised to celebrate the recent victory recorded by the party at its recently concluded zonal Congress in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

The PDP chieftain, who is also the Atona of the Source, while frowning at the new law, and further describing it as self-serving, dubious and incongruous legislation, declared it as dead on arrival, calling on EFCC to look into the books of Alphabeta company with the view of ascertaining criminal complicity in the looting of Lagos treasury.

“The Lagos State government legislation that seeks to shield criminals from being prosecuted by the EFCC is unconstitutional and retrogressive.

“EFCC is advised to look into the books of Alphabeta company with the view of ascertaining criminal complicity in the looting of Lagos treasury,” he said.

George further lampooned the new Anti-graft law, saying it amounted to politics of deceit and self-serving glorification, in a bid to “railroading their enemies into jail and protecting their own,” just as he recalled his sad personal experience which led to his being jailed “for committing no offense at all until I was discharged and acquitted by the highest court in our land.”

“At this juncture, I must return to my state again in view of the self-serving, dubious, incongruous legislation that seeks to shield the looters of our state treasury from the prosecutorial mandate of the EFCC.

“Sanwoolu’s legislation that seeks to shield criminals from Federal prosecution is dead on arrival. It is an elementary assertion that once a state law conflicts with federal legislation, the state law is voided. This is what the constitution says.

“Section 4(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) amplifies: ‘If any Law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law validly made by the National Assembly, the Law made by the National Assembly shall prevail, and that other law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.’ It will not work,” George said.

Speaking further, the PDP chieftain, as part of his 10- point demand, charged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately accede to agitations to restructure the country, declaring that Nigeria was not under military rule and, therefore, impossible for one man sitting at the top to direct and manage her affairs from one source.

George, while making the demand, noted sadly that the country’s polity was now straying towards its elastic limit, declaring that it was now over-stressed and beyond the bounds of acceptability.

According to him, the survival of Nigeria as a nation is genuinely being questioned everywhere as violence sprouts everywhere across the land, declaring that the country surely can’t continue like this and, therefore, the need to reverse “the ruinous course and retrieve ourselves from the gaping chasm that confronts us all.”

“Nigerian Federation is skewed, distorted and should be restructured for equity and fairness to prevail,” the PDP chieftain said.

“So Oga (Buhari) must immediately do something. By the 29th of May this year, it will be exactly two years left for him, he can still do something. But my own position is that we must revisit the system of governance in this country that allows one man sitting at the top to direct and manage Nigeria from one source, it is not possible. It is not a military government.

“This is the time to change the path of old, to look beyond what hobbles our progress, to redefine our value system, to rejig and restructure the various anomalies that presently hinder the greater possibilities of the Nigerian Union,” he declared.

Other demands made by George are that politics should be seen as a public service and not as an avenue to amass wealth and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should jettison its manual procedure and embrace Electronic Voting System, among others.

The PDP chieftain reiterated the call that the two Toll gates at Lekki be pulled down permanently and a monument erected in honor of those young men and women who were martyred in pursuit of a better Nigeria, just as he demanded that the National Union of Road and Transport Workers, which he described as the militia wing of Lagos State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) government and agent of violence and destabilization in the state be outlawed.

“The NURTW which is a militia wing of the APC government in Lagos State continues to be the core of destabilization and violence and should therefore be abolished,” he said.

The rest demands, according to Chief George are: “That Nigeria can be a better place when we all eschew ethnic jingoism, sectarian bias and crass nepotistic agenda.

“That we cannot continue like this. Something must give. There is no other way. There is no other path. Those who have stripped our collective coffers must face the full wrath of the law as a deterrence to others,” the PDP chieftain declared.

On the local government polls coming up in the state in July, George said pointedly that the party had very little interest in the exercise due to past experiences but quickly said PDP would participate in it to enable the citizens see the lack of interest Lagosians have in the exercise.

According to him, the way and manner the appointment of members of the electoral body came about could not guarantee justice and fairness, saying what took place in the 2019 polls was another reason that the local council polls in the state cannot be free and fair.

“For the local government election you know, we are just back. We have just finished the Zonal Congress. Congresses are coming and so from this week, the exco of our party will now embark on trying to get those who would contest.

“Very little interest, very little interest we have in the exercise because of what happened during the general election, how can there be fairness? he queried.

“We have had so many elections with them, they will just go and write results. But we would compete so that people will go round and see how many people will come out, that would be a measure of lack of interest by members of the public,” he added.

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